Press

Washington, D.C. – Today, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) released Revolving Door, a first-ever comprehensive look into the activities of 24 members of President Bush’s cabinet. The 108-page report is based on a six-month CREW investigation.

CREW’s newest report demonstrates that the “revolving door” remains open. After leaving their government positions, many of these top officials joined the ranks of the companies they once regulated where they are highly compensated. In many instances, they have helped their new employers obtain lucrative government grants and contracts.

The report names the companies these former officials have joined and the private interests for which they have advocated. Perhaps more importantly, it also reveals the power they continue to wield within the halls of government.

Highlights from Revolving Door include:

- 17 former cabinet officials hold positions with a total of 119 companies.

- 15 former officials hold positions with 40 companies that lobby those officials’ former agencies.

- 9 former cabinet members hold positions with 15 companies that began or resumed lobbying the former officials’ agencies after those officials joined the companies.

- The most prodigious corporate advisor appears to be former Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services Tommy Thompson, who has worked for 42 different companies since leaving the Bush administration.

Melanie Sloan, CREW’s Executive Director, stated, “CREW’s investigation has shown that most of these former Bush administration officials have cannily leveraged their time spent in the public sector. By using their government positions as springboards to new lucrative opportunities, they have successfully made a mint on the backs of American taxpayers. It may be legal, but it is certainly not honorable.”

Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) is a non-profit legal watchdog group dedicated to holding public officials accountable for their actions. For more information, please visit www.citizensforethics.org or contact Stephen Santulli at 202.408.5565 or ssantulli@citizensforethics.org.